Pupils from Inverness pledge their support for anti-bullying campaign

Pupils from Raigmore Primary School in Inverness have taken the lead in a bid to address bullying after taking part in specially designed workshops as part of this year's anti-bullying campaign.

Led by Scotland's anti-bullying service respectme, this year’s anti-bullying campaign focuses on choosing respect, with pupils trying out specially developed resources designed to help young people build positive, respectful relationships.

The campaign - #ChooseRespect - will cover four phases throughout the school year, Self-Reflection (November), Celebrating Difference (January), Building Empathy (March) and Positive Relationships (May).

Head teacher Autumn Macaulay said: "One of our school agreements is ‘Respect’ and we are continually promoting this throughout Raigmore Primary. These workshops help us to reinforce the importance of building positive relationships through mutual respect and understanding of one another".

Anyone involved with influencing the lives of young people is able to ‘pledge’ support to the campaign and download a suite of free learning materials that complement the four phases.

Katie Ferguson, service director of respectme, said: "Central to this year’s campaign is equipping teachers, youth group leaders and sports coaches with teaching materials and will enable young people to build on their understanding of respect, ultimately encouraging them to foster positive relationships with those around them.

“It’s about helping to spark the conversations that could help change the direction of young people’s lives by proactively helping them to understand the potential impact of the decisions that they make.

“The campaign would not be successful without the support of schools such as Raigmore Primary - and it’s fascinating to see how the materials are being used in different settings and how different schools and youth groups are adapting the workshops.

“Currently, over 700 schools, youth groups and clubs from across Scotland have pledged to support the campaign. Now, we’re encouraging even more to sign our online pledge and help get the whole of Scotland to choose respect."

To find out more and to ‘pledge’ support to the campaign, visit chooserespect.scot

respectme, Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service, was established in 2007 and is funded by the Scottish Government.
The anti-bullying service is managed in partnership with the Scottish Association for Mental Health and LGBT Youth Scotland.
respectme works with all adults who play a role in the lives of children and young people to give them the practical skills and confidence to prevent and address bullying behaviour - including teachers, parents, caregivers and youth group leaders.
The service achieves this through a programme of free training courses and materials, as well as supporting organisations in the development of robust anti-bullying policies and practices, campaigns and access to free information and resources for all.